


The Manchurian Candidate

by Dead_Fireflies375



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Assassins & Hitmen, Alternate Universe - Military, Angst, Heavy Angst, M/M, Military, Minor Violence, Suicide, The Manchurian Candidate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2019-05-19 13:10:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14874368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dead_Fireflies375/pseuds/Dead_Fireflies375
Summary: "Lee Taeyong is the kindest, bravest, warmest, and most wonderful person I've ever known in my life."Lee Taeyong is awarded the Medal of Honor for leading his squad to safety after being captured by enemy soldiers. However, a few of the members of his squad are left recurring nightmares that suggest that Taeyong really didn't heroically save his squad from the enemy. Is there something more to their dreams? Is Taeyong really the hero everyone thinks he is?





	1. Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on the movie The Manchurian Candidate (the 1962 version). You don't need to have seen it to understand the fic (but I highly recommend watching it at some point). 
> 
> I made some changes but the basic plot of the movie is still there. I also didn't want to give the setting a specific setting because I didn't know what would work best and still fit with the movie and with NCT. So I made both the country and the enemy very vague.
> 
> I already have the whole thing written but I didn't want to post it all at once so I'll be updating it every other day.

Lee Taeyong was not a lovable man.

That was fine by him. Some people were lovable, some were not. He was one of the ones who were not. Unfortunately, that was a bit of a problem when he was the sergeant in a squad full of lovable men. Lovable men who decided to go the nearest whorehouse on the night before an important mission. 

Taeyong stormed into the building and saw all of his men, including Captain Johnny Seo, sprawled across the room, tipsy and with an array of attractive women and men hanging off them. Once he entered, one of the women attached herself to him.

“My, you’re a handsome one. You guys are some of the most handsome army men we’ve had come by in a long time,” the girl purred.

Taeyong brushed her off without looking.

“What do you guys think you’re doing?” Taeyong shouted. The room fell silent and his men looked towards him and sighed in disappointment. “We have a mission early tomorrow morning. We don’t have time for this.”

Slowly, the men got up and gathered themselves and Taeyong walked back outside.

“We never have time for this,” Lee Donghyuck, one of the soldiers, complained.

“The Sergeant never lets us have any fun. Can’t you pull rank on him, Captain?” Mark Lee, another soldier, asked.

“Believe me, I hate him just as much as the rest of you, but I think pulling rank won't help the situation,” Johnny commented.

The men filed out, leaving promises of returning after the mission. When they got back to the barracks, they were greeted by a very upset Taeyong.

“Seriously, what were you guys thinking? You all know how important our mission tomorrow morning is. What makes you think it’s okay to go out drinking at some whorehouse?”

“Relax, Taeyong. It’s good to have some distraction before a mission,” Johnny replied.

“I don’t see what’s so good about getting drunk and wasting your money on prostitutes before a mission,  _ Captain _ ,” Taeyong retorted and stormed off to the other room.

“Man, that guy really gets on my nerves,” Kim Dongyoung, one of the soldiers, exclaimed as soon as he left.

“You’re not alone,” Mark agreed.

“Do you think he has someone back home waiting for him?” Nakamoto Yuta, another one of the other soldiers, asked.

“Doubt it. I don’t think there’s a person on this planet who likes him,” Donghyuck replied.

“I don’t know guys, he isn’t very mean to me. I’m not super fond of him but he seems like a decent guy,” Park Jisung, the youngest one out of them, added to the conversation.

“He’s only nice to you because you’re way too young to be here,” Moon Taeil, the oldest one of them, replied.

“I’m eighteen!” Jisung defended.

“Don’t stress it, kid. You’re obviously not. We won’t tell anyone,” Johnny told him.

“Speaking of people we got back home waiting for us, I’ve got the cutest boy waiting for me,” Na Jaemin, the second youngest, commented.

“Does he know you’re out living it up with some prostitutes before missions?” Mark asked.

“We’re not official yet, but he promised that he wouldn’t date anyone while I’m gone and when I come back I’ve promised to take him on the best date of his life. It’ll last way into the night if you know what I mean.”

“Hey! There are minors present!” Dongyoung scolded.

“I’m not a minor!” Jisung defended, “Also are you guys forgetting where we just got back from? I’m not innocent.”

“I told you, kid, relax. Plenty of people lie about their age to get into the military. You’re definitely skilled enough to be here,” Johnny said to him.

“Anyone else got someone waiting for them back home?” Yuta asked.

“Actually, there’s this girl I like. When I get back, I’m going to ask her to be my girlfriend,” Jisung informed them.

“Nice man! Do you got a picture of her?” Yuta asked.

“Yeah! Let me show you,” Jisung said as he dug through his things.

“Oh, I see how it is. You all want to see Jisung’s girl and not my very attractive boy,” Jaemin complained.

“Do you have a picture of him, then?” Donghyuck asked.

“Of course I do! And unlike Jisung, I don’t need to search for it,” Jaemin replied while pulling the picture out of his pocket and passing it to Donghyuck, “His name is Lee Jeno. He’s a music major.”

“Not bad,” Donghyuck remarked.

“Not bad? He’s an angel that humanity as a whole doesn’t deserve. He’s more than just not bad.”

“Here you go, Yuta,” Jisung said as he handed him the photo of the girl he liked.

“Oh yeah, she is cute,” Yuta remarked.

“Let me see,” Mark interjected.

Yuta handed Mark the photo.

“Damn, Jisung you’ve got good taste. You two will make an adorable couple,” Mark commented.

“What about you, Captain?” Yuta asked, “Do you have someone back at home waiting for you?”

“Afraid not,” Johnny replied, “But that’s not important. It’s getting late and we should get some sleep before tomorrow. Especially if you don’t want Taeyong to be more pissed than normal.”

“Don’t mention that jerk! Just hearing his name makes me sick,” Jaemin complained.

“Jerk or not, he’s your superior officer. Besides, if we’re not in good condition tomorrow, we may not be returning at all.”

In less than ten minutes the entire squad was fast asleep, with the hope of returning filling their hearts, unsure of what they may encounter the next day.

 

 

“Everyone, this is Wong Yukhei,” Johnny informed the squad the next day, right before they left for the mission, “As you know, there’s been suspicious activity near this supposedly uninhabited area of some of the wilderness on the enemy’s border. We believe this activity is from a hidden research faculty of the enemy. The enemy has been conducting some sort of experiments on people, according to our intel. We’re still unsure of what their primary goal is with the research. Our task is to find as much info as we can. Also, since this area is fairly unknown to us, we’ve been provided with Yukhei, a local of the area, who’ll act as our guide. He’s lost his family and he wants vengeance so he’ll do anything he can to help us.”

“It’s a pleasure to be working with you guys. Now let’s go and kick some ass!” Yukhei exclaimed excitedly.

Taeyong rolled his eyes at the man’s over-enthusiasm.

“Do we know that he can be trusted?” he asked Johnny.

“He had a thorough background check and his story checks out. The terrain in that area has been known to be dangerous so unless we want to get injured or worse we’ll have to trust him. Let’s get this over with as quickly as possible,” Johnny instructed them and they headed out.

 

 

Yukhei proved to be a good guide as they snuck through the terrain. With his help, they easily got through various obstacles and were making good time. Suddenly Yukhei stopped advancing.

“What’s wrong?” Johnny whispered.

Yukhei pointed to what lay ahead of them. There was a ridge that was surrounded by what looked like swampland.

“There’s swampland all around here and could have quicksand,” Yukhei whispered back.

“Quicksand? There’s no quicksand here,” Taeyoung replied.

“There is. There’s no way to get around it either expect by walking in a straight line on that ridge,” Yukhei responded.

“We’re not doing that. Tactically, it’s a horrible idea to walk in straight line. We don’t know where the enemy could be located here,” Taeyong countered.

“We don’t have much of a choice if we want to finish this mission,” Johnny commented.

“Captain, it’s a bad idea,” Taeyong pleaded.

“We’re doing what Yukhei says and that’s an order, Sergeant,” Johnny retorted.

Taeyong sighed and the squad began to follow Yukhei on the ridge in a straight line even though Taeyong’s gut instinct was telling him that something was off. Before he could think anymore, something can up from behind him and hit him hard on the head. He heard the sounds of his squad struggling as similar things happened to them. He tried to struggle some but was hit again and passed out.

  
  


 

 

Yukhei watched as the unconscious bodies of the soldiers were loaded into the helicopters and flown off into the distance.

“Well done, Yukhei,” a voice said from behind him.

Yukhei turned around quickly. “Chenle! It’s good to see you! I was kind of hoping for Kun, but you’re good too.”

Chenle handed him a thick envelope.

“Payment for the job. Kun would have come but he’s going to be busy now.”

“Yeah, I guess so. Miss that guy, though.”

“You’ll see him at the conference in three days, you’ll be needed there as well.”

“Three days, huh? Thought it’d be at least a week.”

“Don’t underestimate Kun. Well, I’ll be off. I’ll see you in three days.”

“Bye-Bye, Chenle!”

  
  


 

 

Three days after the disappearance of the squad assigned to Captain Johnny Seo, the squad miraculously returned to safety. The survivors credited their return to the leadership of Sergeant Lee Taeyong. Upon recommendation by Johnny, Taeyong was awarded the Medal of Honor. Unfortunately, not all of the squad survived. Nakamoto Yuta and Park Jisung both reportedly died during their escape to safety from the enemy. Upon further investigation, it was found that Jisung had lied about his age to get into the military and was sixteen years old at the time of death.

  
  


 

 

The news of Jisung’s and Yuta’s deaths hadn’t been made public yet and Johnny’s squad was in charge of alerting their families, minus Taeyong who was off to receive his medal. Taeil, Dongyoung, and Jaemin were tasked with breaking the news to Yuta’s family. They approached Yuta’s apartment and Taeil knocked on the door. The door was opened by a very attractive girl who looked to be in her early twenties.

“Are you related to Nakamoto Yuta?” Taeil asked her.

“I’m his girlfriend. Well, not exactly. We haven’t labeled it and we’re keeping it casual. You know how it is with army guys. But between you and me, I’m quite ready for the day I can properly date him. So are you guys some of his army buds? Did he get into trouble or something?”

“Actually, Yuta was killed in the line of duty. I’m sorry for your loss,” Taeil informed her.

“What? He’s…dead?”

“Again, I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Are…are you sure he’s dead? He’s not missing in action or something, right?”  

“No, ma’am. It’s very certain that he’s dead.”

“But–he–he was going to—” she stammered as tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Does he have any other family that we need to inform?” Dongyoung asked.

“No. I was the only thing he had left.”

Taeil gave her an encouraging pat on her shoulder.

“I know Yuta wanted to be a proper boyfriend to you just as much as you wanted to be a proper girlfriend to him,” Taeil said to comfort her.

“Thanks…I just,” some tears fell from her face, “I think I’m still in shock.”

“Again, we can’t begin to stress how sorry we are for your loss,” Jaemin told her.

The three of them left, they too, still in shock from the loss of their comrade.

 

 

“Why did I let Jisung stay with us? He was too young. I should have been more responsible,” Johnny cursed as he, Mark, and Donghyuck made their way to Jisung’s parents’ house.

“Don’t beat yourself up about it, Captain,” Mark comforted, “There was no way to know what would happen.”

“Besides, we can’t bring him back now,” Donghyuck added. 

The trio made their way up to the door and solemnly knocked on it. All of them were dreading the upcoming conversation. The door was opened by a middle age woman. Her hair was a mess and she had huge dark circles under her eyes. She looked exhausted.

“What do you guys want?” she asked tiredly.

“It’s about your son Jisung…” Johnny started.

Her face instantly lit up.

“Did you find him?” she asked, “He ran away from home several months ago and we have no idea where he went.”

“He went to the military. That’s why we’re here. He—”

“He joined what? That kid. You brought him back, didn’t you? He’s much too young to be in the military. He’s waiting in the car, right?”

“Actually, he,” Johnny did his best to hold back his own tears, “He was unfortunately killed during one of our missions. I’m terribly sorry for your loss.”

The color drained out of Jisung’s mother’s face.

“What? No, no, no, you’re joking, right? Right? He’s just a boy. He’s barely sixteen. He hasn’t even finished high school yet. He’s my youngest child. Tell me, you’re joking.”

“I wish I could say I was, ma'am. Jisung was one of the best soldiers I knew.”

“No!” his mother sobbed as she fell to her knees.

Johnny went to his knees as well and embraced her, doing his best to offer any comfort. A guy who looked to a few years older than Jisung walked in from another room.

“Is Jisung back, yet? That little punk,” the boy asked, but when he saw Jisung’s mother on the ground weeping while being comforted by Johnny and Donghyuck and Mark gravely standing in the doorway the color drained from his face as well. “No…Jisung couldn’t have…Mom, nothing happened to Jisung, right?”

“We’re terribly sorry for your loss,” Mark said.

The boy ran off to goodness knows where and Johnny kept doing his best to comfort Jisung’s mom, but she was near inconsolable. Eventually, Johnny was able to get her to calm down a bit and the trio had to leave, their hearts heavy with grief.

 

 

 

 

 

Taeyong did not like his mother. Never have and especially not when he got off his plane and finally returned home, just to be greeted by a mess of reporters, photographers, and other people cheering for him. He instantly knew that his mother was behind this. His suspicions were confirmed when he saw his mother and stepfather squeeze through the crowd of people. Once they made it up to him, they stuck a sign in front of Taeyong with the words “Shin Hyunsik’s Son” written in huge letters.

“This all was your doing wasn’t it?” Taeyong accused his mother, “Hyunsik is running for reelection soon and this will help him win.”

“Of course darling, don’t be ridiculous. Now smile for the photo,” his mother replied.

Taeyong didn’t smile for the photo. Instead, he grabbed the sign and threw it to the ground.

“He’s not my dad,” Taeyong announced to the crowd but they didn’t seem to care.

“Come on, let’s get the poor boy through,” his mother than said as she ushered him through the crowd.

“Shin Hyunsik! How does it feel to be the father of someone who got the Medal of Honor?” One of the reporters asked Taeyong’s stepfather.

“He’s not my dad!” Taeyong answered instead, but that didn’t stop his stepfather from giving a long-winded, generic speech about pride in one’s country.

Similar questions were asked all the way to their limo and Taeyong answered every single one of them the same way, but none of the reporters seemed to care. Eventually, they got to the limo and got in it. Once they got away from the crowds, his mother let out a sigh of relief.

“I was going to warn you about that, but we’ve been so busy lately, I simply didn’t have the time. You’re not terribly mad at us, are you?” his mother asked.

“For what? Exploiting me for your personal gain, like you’ve done my whole life?”

“Now, dear, the Medal of Honor is a huge honor and you know how things in politics are.”

“Oh yeah, I definitely know how things in politics work. I’ve been subjected to that my whole life. And to make matters worse, you had to bring that lowlife scum with you as well.”

“Now, be kind to your father.”

“He’s not my father. Can I take this medal off already?”

“What is wrong with you, dear? You don’t seem like someone who just received one of the biggest honors in our country.”

“Driver! Pull over,” Taeyong commanded.

“What do you think you’re doing, dear? We won’t be home for another hour at least,” his mother demanded.

“I’m not going home with you. I’ve got a job working for the reporter, Mr. Park Minhyuk,” Taeyong informed them, one foot out the door.

“That reporter?” his mother exclaimed, “Do you have any idea of the horrible articles he’s written about your father? What could you possibly have in common with him?”

“Well, we both despise you and Hyunsik. That’s a start,” Taeyong countered as he got out of the car and slammed the door shut.

  
  


 

 

_ Johnny is in a chair in front of a college classroom. The other members of his squad are there with him too, including Jisung and Yuta. There’s a professor teaching the class about something. None of the squad really cares about what the professor is saying. The scene changes to some sort of conference room. The squad is still sitting in a line like before and is still uninterested. There’s a young looking man talking instead in this scene. Yukhei is there too, taking notes in the corner. The scene keeps switching back and forth but Johnny doesn’t care. _

_ “Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the soldiers we captured. I apologize for their informality. I’ve ‘brainwashed’ them as they say, however that term isn't very accurate to how to actual process works, to believe that they’re in a college classroom,” the man in front of them says. _

_ None of the squad reacts. _

_ “Let me present to you the famous Lee Taeyong. The man you’re all here to see. Taeyong bring your chair over to me,” the man says. _

_ Taeyong stands and drags is chair next to the man. There’s a table in front of him and Taeyong begins to do something with his hands. Johnny can’t tell what he’s doing. _

_ “I’m sure you’ve all heard the old wives tale about how someone who’s been hypnotized can’t do something against their moral beliefs. Nonsense, of course. Those of you taking notes may want to write down that you should pick up these books for later reading: “The True Effects of Hypnotism on Subjects” by—” _

_ “Tell us the list afterward, Kun, and get to the point. Has he killed someone or not?” a man in the group being spoken to interrupts. _

_ “Ah, Renjun, impatient as always. Very well. Taeyong have you killed anyone before?” _

_ “No, sir,” Taeyong calmly replies. _

_ “Not even in combat?” _

_ “Well, in combat? Yes, sir, I think so.” _

_ “Of course you have. You’ve had issues since childhood and that was a great way to get out your aggression. Now may I have your knife, Chenle?” _

_ “Not with the knife,” Renjun says, “Use this,” he commands as he pulls out a scarf. _

_ “Very well,” Kun says and Renjun goes and hands it to Kun. _

_ Kun takes the scarf and hands it to Taeyong. _

_ “Now Taeyong, whom do you dislike the least in your squad?” Kun asks. _

_ “I’d have to say Captain Johnny Seo, sir.” _

_ “See how he goes for the superior officer? But that won’t due, you need him in order to get your Medal of Honor. After him, who do you dislike the least?” _

_ “Probably Nakamoto Yuta, sir.” _

_ “Take this scarf and go strangle him to death.” _

_ “Yes, sir,” Taeyong says as he grabs the scarf and goes around the line of the squad, occasionally saying “excuse me” when appropriate. _

_ The squad remains disinterested as Johnny’s perspective switches back in forth from the conference room to the classroom. Taeyong goes up to Yuta and wraps the scarf around his neck. _

_ “What are you doing?” Yuta asks. _

_ “Just be quiet and corporate,” Kun commands. _

_ Yuta nods and as Taeyongs strangles him to death, none of the squad reacts. Yuta’s lifeless body falls to the floor and none of the squad so much as flinches. _

Johnny woke up in a cold sweat. He had been having that nightmare every night since they got back from the time Taeyong saved them all from the enemy. Every time, it was exactly the same. He tried to go back to sleep but the image of Yuta’s lifeless body lying on the floor prevented him from getting any rest.

 

 

The next day, Johnny had another meeting with his fellow officers about his recurring dream yet again. When he walked into the room, he was greeted by a new face.

“Ah, you must be Major Johnny Seo. I’m Kim Jungwoo. I’m a psychiatrist and I’ve been added to this case in order to offer some new perspectives,” the man greeted.

“Ah, Johnny! You’re here!” the colonel declared, “Did you have the dream again?”

“Yeah, exactly the same as it always is.”

“We’ve tried investigating Lee Taeyong but so far we’ve come up with nothing that can prove your story. None of the other squad members involved have reported recurring dreams either. With only one statement and no physical evidence, there’s not much we can do.”

“I know, it’s just that the dream seems so real. Yuta was one of the ones who died and in the dream, he’s always the…he’s the one who Taeyong— ”

“Listen, Johnny, we’re going to be upfront with you. This nightmare is really starting to affect your work performance. We may have given you the promotion to Major a bit premature and not have allowed enough time for you to recover mentally from your time spent on deployment and being in combat frequently. You need a break from all the stress so we’re going to assign you to public relations. After spending some time there, you should hopefully be back to normal.”

“Understood, sir,” Johnny replied.

“Before you go, I’d like to ask some questions as a psychiatrist. After all, this is most likely a psychological issue,” Jungwoo requested.

“Go ahead,” the colonel granted.

“So Major, how did the men in your squad feel about Lee Taeyong?”

“They all loved him. He saved their lives, why shouldn’t they?”

“And what was your opinion of Taeyong?”

“Lee Taeyong is the kindest, bravest, warmest, and most wonderful person I've ever known in my life.”

  
  


 

 

_ Yuta’s body is lying on the floor. Jaemin doesn’t react. Neither do the others. The scene switches back and forth between a classroom and a conference room. _

_ “Well done, Taeyong,” the man named Kun says. _

_ “Thank you, sir,” Taeyong says. _

_ “Captain Seo?” Kun asks. _

_ “Yes?” Johnny replies. _

_ “When you return to your headquarters, what is the first thing you’ll do?” _

_ “I will give my report.” _

_ “And what is in this report?” _

_ “That Sergeant Lee Taeyong should receive the Medal of Honor. He saved our lives and took out a complete company of the enemy's infantry.” _

_ “Very good. Now to proceed with the demonstration,” Kun continued, “Taeyong?” _

_ “Yes, sir?” _

_ “Who is that boy sitting next to the Captain?” _

_ Taeyong looks over. Jisung is sitting next to Johnny. Jisung is smiling at Taeyong. _

_ “That’s Park Jisung. He’s like the baby of the group. We all love to take care of him.” _

_ “Looks pretty young to be in the military.” _

_ “Yeah, I guess he is, but he’s talented. He’s one of our best soldiers in the squad, sir.” _

_ “Captain, lend Taeyong your pistol.” _

_ “Sure thing, sir,” Johnny says as he hands Taeyong his pistol. _

_ “Taeyong, I want you to shoot Jisung in the forehead.” _

_ “Yes, sir.” _

_ Taeyong walks up to Jisung and puts the gun on his forehead. Jisung is still smiling at Taeyong. Taeyong pulls the trigger and Jisung’s blood sprays everywhere as his lifeless body falls to the floor. Jaemin doesn’t flinch at the shot nor do the others. _

Jaemin woke up stifling a scream. The dream had seemed so real like it always did. This wasn’t the first time he had this nightmare. His boyfriend Jeno also woke up.

“Did you have the dream again?” Jeno asked.

Jaemin nodded and pulled his boyfriend close to him.

“I’m not going crazy, am I? I keep having the same dream about Taeyong killing Yuta and Jisung. He would never do that.”

“What you need to do is to send an email to Taeyong. Ask if anyone else has been having those dreams.”

“You’re right. If anyone can help me, it’s Taeyong.”

“You really like him, don’t you?”

“Lee Taeyong is the kindest, bravest, warmest, and most wonderful person I’ve ever known in my whole life.”


	2. Solitaire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this took me a bit longer than expected to put up! I've been really busy lately. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter too!!

Taeyong enjoyed his new job. He didn't care about reporting that much, but working for his mother's enemy gave him a kind of satisfaction he hadn't had in a while. However, the job was very time consuming and he had very little free time. During one of his rare moments alone, he decided to check his emails. To his surprise, he noticed he had received an email from Jaemin and opened it to see what it was about.

“Taeyong, I've been having problems lately and I don't know who to turn to,” Taeyong read to himself, “As you know, you were my best friend in the military. I've been having these horrible dreams since I came back from being captured.”

Before Taeyong could continue reading, he was interrupted by a phone call from an unknown number. He picked it up.

“ _ Taeyong? _ ” the voice over the phone asked.

“Yes, who is this?”

“ _ You should play some solitaire right now. _ ”

Taeyong hung up the phone and grabbed a nearby deck of cards. He began playing while the email was left unnoticed. After a little bit, he turned over the queen of diamonds. He stopped playing and got a phone call again. Wordlessly, he picked it up.

“ _ Taeyong? _ ”

“Yes, sir?”

“ _ Do you see the queen of diamonds? _ ” the voice asked.

“Yes, sir.”

“ _ Good. On Saturday at eleven in the morning, go to the corner of 5th Street and Western Avenue. There'll be a car waiting for you. _ ”

“Yes, sir.”

“ _ You may now put the cards away. _ ”

  
  


 

 

Johnny hated working in PR, but the promise that this was temporary got him through it. The nightmares hadn't stopped, but he was convinced he was doing better. He had been reading a lot lately. His whole apartment was covered in a variety of books tossed everywhere. It was beginning to become a problem but he convinced himself it was for the best. In the middle of reading one of his books, there was a knocking on his door. When he went to answer it, he was greeted by Jungwoo.

“Oh, Jungwoo. You're here. Come in, let me pour you a drink.”

Jungwoo followed Johnny in and Johnny went to go pour him drink. However, his hand kept shaking and he kept spilling the drink.

“It's okay, Johnny. I'm not thirsty,” Jungwoo insisted.

“Okay. Well, then have a seat.”

“So, I see you've been reading a lot,” Jungwoo commented.

“Yeah, I have. A buddy of mine keeps hooking me up with them. I'm really interested in them. You know, uh, the evolution of armor in medieval times, species of birds in Madagascar, the hierarchy of gangs in Italy, types of flowers found in mountains, common diseases of horses, mosses found in China, and, uhm, things like that, you know. There’s a lot more too, like, uhm—”

“Johnny, I'm here to talk about your work performance,” Jungwoo interrupted.

“Oh? Am I being restored to my old spot?”

“No. The opposite actually. You've only gotten worse. Your hands haven’t stopped shaking since you opened the door. Your face keeps twitching. The state of your apartment is evident of how badly you've been affected. I'm putting you on an indefinite medical leave. You can come back when your nightmares stop.”

“Oh.”

“They wanted to discharge you, but I convinced them that you can be fixed. You just need a break. An actual break.”

“Thanks,” Johnny mumbled.

“Go on a vacation, travel, meet someone and go on a date. We just want you to get better.”

“I know it’s just…something feels off about all of this. When you asked me what I thought of Taeyong, I told you that he was the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful man I've ever met in my life. Even now, I believe that. But something in the back on my mind is telling me that it isn’t right. Taeyong was impossible to like. He was an unsympathetic jerk that had no interest in others. He’s probably one of the most unlikable people I’ve ever had the misfortune to meet.”

“Johnny, there’s no way we can prove anything in your dream and in the meantime, you’re falling apart at the seams.”

“Please just believe me. Something is wrong with Taeyong.”

“Take some time doing stuff for yourself. If you’re still suffering from the nightmare, then we’ll talk again. Until then, you’re to take a break from all your stress and that’s an order.”

“Understood,” Johnny mumbled.

  
  


 

 

Saturday, 11:00 in the morning, Lee Taeyong was reported to be hit by a car. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was to receive treatment. At least that’s was what the report was. In actuality, Taeyong was unharmed and was currently lying on a hospital bed while nurses put fake casts and bandages on him. There was a well-dressed man pacing back and forth that Taeyong didn’t recognize. A queen of diamonds was in front of him. Suddenly the door was opened by a man Taeyong did recognize.

“Kun! I wasn’t expecting you so soon!” the man pacing said.

“Sicheng, good to see you too. My flight got in early and I didn’t want to waste any more time,” Kun said, “It’s good to see you, Taeyong.”

“Likewise, sir.”

“My, Sicheng, you’ve really outdone yourself this time. This is one of your better cover stories, yet.”

“I wanted to be extra cautious. Just in case anyone wants to visit him.”

“You won’t need to worry about that. There isn’t a soul on this Earth that likes Taeyong. Tell me, Taeyong, do you remember murdering Nakamoto Yuta and Park Jisung?”

“Pardon me, sir?”

“Your squad members, Yuta and Jisung. What happened to them?”

“When we were escaping, Yuta got separated from the group and Jisung followed him. An explosion went off and they both died instantly. I don’t think they felt a thing.”

“See, Shicheng, this is the best weapon we’ve ever got our hands on before. A killer who has no knowledge of the people he’s killed. He won’t feel guilty because he doesn’t remember what happened. Because of that, he doesn’t feel any fear of being caught. An assassin without guilt or fear, and, if used correctly, entirely police-proof. His brain hasn’t just been washed, it’s been dry cleaned.”

“Are you sure that the mechanism still works? After all, it’s been some time since he killed anyone,” Sicheng asked.

“I guarantee it. But, just to be safe, I’ve arranged for a team of specialists to come in over the course of this week to make sure its still working before we’ll hand him off to his new operator. On the off chance that he receives any visitors, be sure to allow them to come in.”

“Of course.”

“Well, I’ll be off. My girlfriend keeps complaining about my wardrobe. There are some amazing clothing stores here, and seeing as I have the time, I think I’ll do a bit of shopping. I’ll see you both in a week.”

 

 

A week went by and Taeyong didn’t receive any visitors. He did, however, receive a letter from his employer Park Minhyuk, wishing he recovers soon. Sicheng and Kun were both in his room smoking cigarettes.

“My specialists confirmed that he’s still in top condition and ready to be handed off to his new operator,” Kun declared after taking a long drag.

“Before we turn him over to them, we should put him through a test. Just to be sure it does still work.”

“Fine, if you’re so nervous, dear Sicheng, kill one of your own people. This area is blocked for security purposes. Nobody would know.”

“I would, but we are incredibly understaffed. If I lose just one of my workers, this entire establishment is in danger. Why can’t we just kill someone randomly, with no connection to us?”

“Very well. But he must be instructed to kill any and all witnesses to any assignment like that he is sent on.”

“Agreed. Now, who should he be assigned to kill?”

“How about his employer Mr. Park Minhyuk? With him out of the way, Taeyong will receive that influential position himself. Taeyong?”

“Yes, sir?”

“I’ve got a job for you.”

  
  


 

 

Park Minhyuk lived alone, however, he instructed all of his employees that his door was always open to them. He even went as far as to give a key to some of his closest employees, Taeyong included. So he wasn’t that surprised when Taeyong walked into his bedroom at three in the morning while he was reading.

“Oh, Taeyong, my boy! Do you have any idea what time it is? What are you doing here?”

“Hello, sir. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“Nonsense. I was just doing some late night reading. Or early morning, should I say? Anyways, you could never bother me. Ever since Mina died, I’ve opened my house to you and everyone else at work. If there’s one thing I hate more than Shin Hyunsik, it’s an empty house. Though I don’t think you’ve ever visited. What is it? Are you going to pour out your problematic love life or something?”

“I really didn’t mean to disturb you, sir. They told me you’d be asleep.”

“They? Who’s they?”

Taeyong took a step closer to Minhyuk.

“What do you mean by ‘they’? Taeyong, is that a gun in your hand?”

  
  


 

 

Johnny had been instructed to take a break and relax, but that didn’t stop any of the nightmares. So he decided to confront this at the source. That’s why he was on a train, bound to the city where Taeyong lives, hours away from his own home. If Taeyong couldn’t help, then he’d find another way, but he was going to figure out what was happening. Johnny grabbed a cigarette and tried to light it, but his hand wouldn’t stop shaking and it wouldn’t light. Johnny looked around noticed that there was a handsome guy watching him. He looked to be a bit younger than him and his dark hair fell right above his eyes.

“Mind if I smoke?” Johnny asked.

“Not at all,” the other man replied.

Johnny tried again, but the result was the same. Frustrated, he got up and stormed off. He went by one of the doors to another car and leaned against the wall and shut his eyes. He’d gotten used to seeing his squad members’ dead bodies with Taeyong unemotionally standing over them every time he closed his eyes. He felt a tap on his shoulder and he opened his eyes to see the man from before offering him a lit cigarette. Reluctantly, he grabbed it and took a drag from it.

“This area is quite beautiful,” the man commented.

“I’ve seen better,” Johnny shrugged.

“Do you travel much?”

“I’m a major in the military. I do a lot of traveling.”

“Where are you from then?”

“Not too far from here. About a day’s travel away.”

“I’d consider that far. I’ve lived in the same area for most of my life.”

There was a short pause between them.

“So what’s your name?” Johnny asked.

“Chittaphon. If you think that’s bad, you should see my last name.”

“That’s a nice name.”

“Thank you. Nobody ever calls me it though.”

“What do people call you then?.”

“They usually call me Ten. That’s my other name and I like that better. Chittaphon always struck me as a more fragile name.”

“And yet you still told me Chittaphon when I asked.”

“Maybe I was feeling more or less fragile in that moment.”

“Never understood the phrase ‘more or less’.”

“So what’s your name?” Ten asked after a brief pause.

“Johnny.”

“So, Johnny, are you single?”

“Yeah. You?”

“Yes. Here,” Ten took out a piece of paper and wrote something on it, “Here’s my address and number. I assume you’re stationed at the destination of this train otherwise you boarded the wrong one.”

“I wouldn’t say stationed. I’m on medical leave and I’ve got someone I need to visit.”

Ten handed Johnny the paper.

“Well, whatever you’re going there for, don’t forget to call me up sometime.”

  
  


 

 

“Mr. Lee? There's a Mr. Wong here to see you. He says he was apart of the squad you were in that was captured,” the secretary at Taeyong’s work came and told him.

“Mr. Wong? There weren't any guys in my squad by that name.”

“He's very insistent, sir.”

“Alright. Send him in.”

The secretary nodded and soon a tall man walked in wearing semi-formal clothes.

“Lee Taeyong? It's me, Wong Yukhei. Remember me?”

“Oh, you. You were our guide right before we were captured. Why are you here?”

“I've come here looking for work.”

“Well, I don't need any guides to get anywhere.”

“I do more than just that. I can cook, work as your valet, or anything else you want me to do. I'm very good.”

“Hmm, I guess I could use a valet. And it wouldn't hurt to have a cook. Very well. You're hired.”

“Thank you, sir. You won't regret it.”

“You better hope I won't. Now I've got somewhere to go. I'll be back by 7:30 and I want dinner to be ready when I get there.”

“Yes, sir. Just like the military again.”

“Oh god, I hope not.”

  
  


 

 

Johnny had found Taeyong’s address without much trouble. It was figuring out where it was that was the problem. After hours of searching, Johnny finally found Taeyong’s apartment. It was in a very wealthy area, probably the most expensive area in the whole city. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Except instead of Taeyong answering, it was none other than Wong Yukhei. Without thinking, Johnny punched him right in the jaw. Yukhei, due to being caught off guard, flew back a couple feet. Johnny rushed after him and grabbed him by the collar.

“What was Taeyong doing with his hands?” Johnny yelled at him.

Yukhei then kneed Johnny in the stomach. Johnny doubled over and was then punched in the face. Before Yukhei could attack again, Johnny punched him again.

“Why did the classroom switch to a conference room?” he yelled again.

The two exchanged a few more punches till eventually, Johnny managed to knock Yukhei to the ground and pinned him down.

“What was Taeyong doing with his hands?”

Johnny punched Yukhei in the face.

“Why did the classroom switch to a conference room?”

Another punch.

“What were you doing there?”

Another punch.

“What was Taeyong doing with his hands?”

Another punch.

“Did Taeyong kill Yuta and Jisung?”

Another punch.

“What were you doing there?”

Johnny felt himself being pulled off by what he assumed were the building’s security. Yukhei’s face was a mess from all of the punches. Johnny guessed he wasn’t in the best shape either.

“Why did the classroom switch to a conference room? Did Taeyong kill Yuta and Jisung?” Johnny yelled as he was dragged away, “What was he doing with his hands?”

Johnny was dragged out of the room and dropped off at the police station. When asked about if there was anyone who would pick him up, he handed them Ten’s address without thinking. About fifteen minutes later, Ten rushed through the doors and spoke to one of the police officers. He then went up to Johnny. Johnny slowly looked up at him and Ten smiled at him.

“I must say, you’re the first to have the police department call to ask about our first date.”

“They asked me who would…who I’d be willing to—”

“I know. Thank you.”

One of the police officers handed Johnny his items and the two went outside. Ten called over a cab and the two got in it.

“I’ve got to find Taeyong. He may be home now,” Johnny informed him.

“Okay, whatever you want. But first, I want to tell you about what I was doing before you so cleverly had the police call me. Don’t bother trying to guess what it was, you’re too tired,” Ten began to wipe some of the blood off Johnny’s face, “I was telling my best friend about the wonderful man I met on the train today. I told them how you were one of the most handsome men I have ever met and how it was love at first sight. So when I received the call from the police to meet you at the police station, I was a bit shocked, but I came as quickly as I could. Then when I got there, they told me how you beat up that very tall man.”

“He’s not that tall. He’s like my height.”

“You, dear, are very tall. So you beat up a very tall man, but they apparently called your superiors who had nothing but good things to say about your character so they decide that this was something very out of character for you,” Ten paused, “They didn’t need to bother your superiors. If they were even slightly unsure about you, they could have just asked me.”

Johnny laced his fingers with Ten’s.

“You’ve barely met me.”

“And yet I already know more than enough.”

Ten closed the distance between them in a kiss and for the first time in a long time, Johnny wasn’t thinking about Taeyong or the nightmares.

  
  


Johnny showed up to Taeyong’s apartment again later that night. Ten had bandaged him up some, but his face still wasn’t in great shape. Slowly, he knocked on the door. This time Taeyong answered it.

“Hey, Tae.”

“What the hell, Johnny? Earlier today I received a call that you had broken into my apartment and beat up one of my employees.”

“Yeah, about that…it’s just that Yukhei is in this terrible dream I keep having and—”

“Is it about me and the squad that we got captured with?”

“How did you—”

“Na Jaemin, remember him? He was one of the younger guys in our squad. I got an email from him some time ago. It was very odd. I know none of you guys liked me, and the feeling was mutual, but he addressed me as his best friend in the military. He wanted to talk to me about this nightmare he was having and how it was driving him to the point of insanity.”

“What did he say about his nightmare?”

“That we were all sitting in some conference room and something about this man using us for a demonstration. Not really nightmare material in my opinion.”

“Do you still have the email?”

“No, I always delete emails after I read them.”

“Is that all he said then?”

“Why? Are you having the same nightmare?”

Johnny grabbed a piece of paper and quickly wrote Ten’s number on it.

“Here,” Johnny said as he thrust the paper over to Taeyong, “Call this number and tell the guy who answers that something came up and I’m going out of town for a bit but I’ll be back soon.”

Johnny rushed away. For the first time, he was finally starting to get some answers.

  
  


After Johnny told his superiors about Jaemin’s nightmare, they decided to begin to start seriously looking into it. That’s why Johnny was watching as they showed him various photos side by side of different people. Most were random civilians, but some were people suspected of being linked to the enemy . Johnny was tasked with identifying two of the men he saw in his dream. So far, none of the photos matched. Then on the right side, a photo of what looked to be a very young man was put up. Johnny didn’t have to look twice to know that he was one of the men who had been haunting his sleep for months.

“That’s one of them. The guy on the right.”

From there, they only switched the photo on the left side. It wasn’t much longer till they put up a photo of a man who looked only a few years older than the other. He was very well dressed and looked like he was very friendly. However, Johnny knew that was far from the truth.

“That’s the other one,” Johnny informed them.

“Na Jaemin identified the same two men earlier today. Looks like your story checks out, kid,” the colonel informed him.

“That guy,” Johnny said as he pointed to the guy on the right, “was the one who told Taeyong to strangle Yuta instead of stabbing him. He was a bit older when it happened though.”

“That’s Huang Renjun. Child genius with lots of potential but dropped off the grid a couple years back when the war began. We suspected he was involved with the enemy and this confirms it,” the colonel explained.

“And that guy,” Johnny now said pointing to the guy on the left, “was the one speaking in front of everyone. He’s the one who ordered Taeyong to kill Yuta and Jisung.”

“Qian Kun. Another child genius. Following the mysterious death of his father, he inherited millions of dollars. Our intel confirmed that he works for the enemy, but his exact position among them hadn’t been confirmed. Good work, kid. You’re back in and I’m assigning you to Lee Taeyong. We need to understand what this all means.”

“I’m sure the Major won’t have any objections to this assignment. After all, Lee Taeyong is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful person he’s ever known in his life,” Jungwoo added.

For the first time in goodness knows when Johnny smiled.


End file.
